Post on 12-Apr-2018
© 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0 | March 4, 2007
BIRT: Introduction to the EclipseBusiness Intelligence & Reporting Tools Project
Paul ClenahanEclipse BIRT Project Management Committee
VP Product Management, Actuate Corporation
2 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Agenda
� Business Intelligence and Reporting Primer
� How Developers Solve the Problem Today
� The Emergence of the BIRT Project
� Demonstration
� Gallery
� API’s, Extensibility
� Actuate BIRT
� Summary
BIRT Project = Business Intelligence and Report Tools Project
3 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Business Intelligence and Reporting Primer
� Most applications have some type of reporting need
� Simple reporting is easy, but users demand more
� Real-world report development is challenging
� Non-relational data sources
� Sorting, aggregation and calculations on data
� Professional presentation of information
� Meeting user demand for reporting is key to application success
Bank Accou
nt Transact
ion List
Product S
ales Reportin
g
Assets Under Management
Financial Budget Repo
rts
Telecom Statement Online and Printed
Network Outages Frequency
Utility B
ill
Deviation
from Serv
ice Level
Objective
s
Sales Commission Reports
Web Site Traffic Analysis
Produc
t Orde
r Invoi
ce
Shipping Manifest
Defect Tracking
Daily W
ork Ord
er Task
List
Produc
t Supp
lier Statu
s Repo
rts
Single Cu
stomer Vi
ew
4 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
How Developers Traditionally Solve the Problem
Java
JSP
XSLT XML
JFaces
JavaScript
HTML
ReportNet
Crystal Reports
JReports StyleReports
Custom Developed Solution
Build
Closed Source Commercial Products
Buy
5 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Open Source Creates New Choices
Leverage Open Source in a Custom Solution
Build using
Open Source
Code
Open Source Based Products
Open Source
Products
Custom Developed Solution
Build
Closed Source Commercial Products
Buy
6 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools
BIRT Project Goals
� Next generation reporting technology
� Web centric design metaphor
� Open source and extensible
� XML report design format
� Foundation for commercial products
� Build community and ecosystem
BIRT Project Committers
� Actuate (http://www.actuate.com)
� Innovent Solutions
(http://www.innoventsolutions.com)
� IBM (http://www.ibm.com)
� InetSoft (http://www.inetsoft.com)
7 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Business Intelligence Continuum
BIRT Project Scope
Operational Reporting Ad hoc Query & Reporting Analytics/OLAP/Data Mining
Typical Characteristics:
• Operational reports
• Developer creates reports
• Very easy end user access
• Highly formatted
• Multiple output formats
• No end user training needed
• Data access can be complex
• Simple ad hoc exploration of data
• Business user creates reports
• Fairly easy to use
• Typically limited formatting
• Interactive
• Minimal training
• Semantic layer hides complexity
• Complex “Slice and Dice” of data
• Business user creates reports
• More complex to use
• Minimal formatting
• Very interactive
• Requires training
• Semantic layer/data cubes
BIRT Initial
Focus
8 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT Project Initial Target Users
Report Developers Drag & Drop authoring, charting
Advanced Report Developers Scripting, Script API
Runtime Integration Developers BIRT Viewer and Engine APIs
Report Design Integration Design Engine API
Extension Developers BIRT Extension Points
Core Development Eclipse Development, Open Source
Audience Features
Easy
Complex
9 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT: Feature Rich Open Source Technology
� Printing
� Cut, Copy, and Paste
� Report Wizard (> Cheat Sheets)
� Schematic Design View
� Outline View
� Report Preview
� Style Builder
� Chart Wizard (> Chart Properties)
� Palette View
� Page Setup User Interface
� Grouping User Interface
� Properties User Interface
� Query Editor
� Expression Builder
� Basic Parameters
� Scripting
� Aggregations
� Computed Columns
� Filtering
� Sorting
� Grouping
� JDBC Queries
� Custom Data Access
� Multiple Data Sources and Queries
� Report Execution and Viewing API
� Extensible Model
� Report Design API and Format
� Internationalization
� Listing and Grouped Listing Reports
� Multi-section Reports
� Sub-reports
� List (including groupings, subtotals)
� Table (including groupings, subtotals)
� Text
� Grid
� Chart
� Label Element
� Data Element
� Image Element
� Web Style Output
� Web-based Report Viewer
� PDF Output
Open Source BIRT Report 1.0 New Features
• Designed to handle real-world reporting problems
• Innovative approach to report layout and design – a web page design paradigm
• Technology should make simple reports easy to develop…
…but it should also be flexible enough to handle complex report layouts
10 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT: Feature Rich Open Source Technology
� Expanded JavaScript Support
� New and improved chart types
� Controlled/bounded use of System Memory
� Disk-Based Sorting and Data Manipulation
� Page-on-Demand Report Viewing APIs
� Cache Query Results while Developing
� Page-on-Demand Navigation UI/UI
Framework
� Concurrent User Scalability for large
numbers of Active Users
� Improve PDF Output Generation
� Dynamic Parameter List Support
� Cascading Dynamic Parameter Lists
� Chart Builder/Wizard
� Ability to use Property Editor for Chart
Elements
� New Expression Builder for Improved
Usability
� Syntax color coding in Expression Builder
� Auto-complete in Expression Builder
� Custom Template Support for New Reports
� Enhance Report Object Model API for Ease
of Use
� Improvements to Chart Engine API
� Improve and Publish Chart Model
� Library Support for Reusable Report Items
and Objects
� External Style Sheets for Use Across
Multiple Report Designs
� Perspective for Java Code Editing in Report
Designs
� Ability to import CSS Style Sheets
� Pass-through of External Context Objects to
ODA Data Providers
� Support Data Set Output Parameters
� Move ODA Runtime Extension Point and
Java Interfaces to DTP
� Provide Plug-in Adapter for BIRT ODA
Drivers to DTP ODA
� Table of Contents Support in Viewer UI
� Chart Interactivity at View Time in Reports
� Ability to Export Report Data as CSV
� Data Extraction from a Report
� Table of Contents API Support in Engine
� Top N / Bottom N Report Layout
� Multi-pass Aggregate, Sorting and Filtering
Support
� Hyperlinks to Other Reports
� Multi-page Reports
� Persistent Storage of Report Output
� Basic XML as a Data Source
� Improvements to Chart components
� Provide Methods for Controlling Chart
Behavior
� Provide support for Displaying CLOB (Text)
Data from Database
� Provide support for Displaying BLOB (Image)
Data from Database
� Bookmarks (Hyperlinks into a Report Body)
Open Source BIRT Report 2.0 New Features
� Hyperlinks to Table of Contents entries
� Automatic parameter discovery for hyperlink
� Connection pooling for JDBC data sources
� Multiple Master page support
� Improved usability in parameter management
� Cascading parameters with multiple sources
� Ability to JOIN datasets in BIRT
� Advanced control on data bindings
� More page break and heading control
� Connection profile support
� Enhanced chart interactivity and scripting
� New chart marker, scale and legend control
� Additional Y-axis support in charts
� Percentage Pie chart type
� Central location for resource files
Open Source BIRT Report 2.1 New Features
11 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Report Designer
High Level BIRT Architecture
Report Engine
Presentation
ServicesReport Design Engine
XML
Report
Design
Report
Document
HTML
Eclipse
Report
Designer
Generation
Services
Data
Transform.
Services
Charting
Engine
Data
Data
Chart
Designer
Eclipse
DTP…
Custom
Designer
12 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT in Action!
13 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Report Gallery
Employee Directory
Product Catalog
14 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Report Gallery
Form Letter
Crosstab/Matrix Report
15 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Report Gallery
Sales Dashboard
Sales Invoice
16 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Chart Gallery
17 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Chart Gallery
18 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Chart Gallery
19 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Report Designer
Integration APIs: An Overview
Design
Engine API
Open Data
Access
Chart UI API
Report Viewer
Report
Engine API
Chart Engine
API
XML
Report
Design
HTML
or
Report
Document
20 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Extension Point Overview
� Extensibility is a key principle for the BIRT project
� Data source extensibility
� Application specific design-time query builders
� Custom design-time & run-time data access
� Custom business logic extensibility
� Incorporate complex business logic scripting
� Access existing and new Java code
� Visualization extensibility
� Build new visual data presentation ‘widgets’
� Extend charting with new chart types; new output formats
� Rendering reports for output
� Target report output for specific devices & formats
21 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Business Intelligence & Reporting Tools Timeline
� 2.1.3 Release: Maintenance releaseTBD
� 2.1.2 Release: Maintenance releaseFeb, 2007
� 2.0 Release: Support for a wide variety of common report typesDec, 2005
� 2.1 Release: Advanced parameters, ability to join data setsJun, 2006
� 2.1.1 Release: Maintenance releaseSep, 2006
� 1.0.1 Release: Support for Eclipse 3.1; RCP version of BIRTJul, 2005
� 1.0 Release: Eclipse Report Designer, Report Engine, Chart EngineJun, 2005
� 1.0 Preview: Eclipse Report Designer, Report Engine, Chart EngineFeb, 2005
� BIRT Project proposal accepted, and project launchedSep, 2004
� 2.2 Target Release DateJun, 2007
� BIRT Project Proposal posted for community review on Eclipse.orgAug, 2004
22 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT Market Momentum and Uptake
Sample Adopters To Date Since BIRT 1.0 Released in June 2005
23 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT Market Momentum and Uptake
“From my research, BIRT is a really big deal,
it has legitimate traction in the market.”
Stephen O’Grady, RedMonk
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1H 05 2H 05 1H 06 2H 06
Dow
nlo
ads (000's
)
660K BIRT Downloads thru Q4 2006
24 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
New Publications Available From Amazon
25 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
What is BIRT Being Used For?
� Personal desktop report development tool
� Reporting technology integrated into corporate web applications
� Reporting technology integrated into corporate desktop applications
� Reporting technology integrated into ISV web applications
� Reporting technology integrated into ISV Eclipse-based applications
BIRT’s flexibility supports very diverse applications:
26 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Case Study – Scapa Technology
Scapa Technologies is privately-
held, based in Edinburgh, UK
Build and sell system performance
& analysis solutions into vertical
sectors, including
telecommunications, retail &
financial services
Scapa Test and Performance
Platform is a powerful application
performance testing, diagnosis &
monitoring product applicable
across a wide range of commercial
software technologies at multiple
points in the application lifecycle
http://www.scapatech.com/
27 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Case Study – Scapa Technology
� BIRT runtime component is
embedded in Scapa Test and
Performance Platform
� Scapa application leverages the BIRT
API to invoke the runtime component
� Users run reports & select the report
layout, structure & visual preferences
from within the Scapa user-interface
� BIRT runtime component adopts the
look & feel of the Scapa application
� Built hooks within application that
drive what the report should look like
& create a report template
programmatically
28 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Case Study – Ivis Technologies
Ivis Technologies is privately held,
based in Arizona, USA.
Build and sell software solutions
that enable organizations to merge
process improvement with live
project execution.
xProcess is the premier process
improvement and project execution
environment that captures &
creates processes, generates
project plans and supports
continuous process improvements
http://www.ivis.com/public/products/xprocess
29 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Case Study – Ivis Technology
� xProcess embeds BIRT
� BIRT designer for built in reports
� Custom built wrapper for DE API
� Report lib => ~10 data sets
� Runtime launched from xProcess
� Project Summary Report provides
snapshot of a project at any time
30 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Case Study – MAXIMUS
MAXIMUS is a public company
(NYSE: MMS) headquartered in
Reston, Virginia, USA.
Leading government services
company with over 5,200
employees providing consulting,
systems and outsourcing services.
FacilityMAX is a web based
application that enables
organizations to improve, automate
and integrate all of their facility
management, asset management
and maintenance operations.
FacilityMAX has over 150
customers.
http://www.assetsolutions.maximus.com
31 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Case Study – MAXIMUS
“The BIRT Reports technology offers a
significantly lower total cost of ownership
and high-quality Web-based reports to
our customers.”
Trey Drake, Software Architect,
Asset Solutions Group at MAXIMUS
� BIRT is embedded in the FacilityMAX web
application
� MAXIMUS selected BIRT because:
� Low total cost of ownership
� Solid technology and architecture
� Comprehensive support for variety of report
layouts
� Ability to report on large volumes of data
� Open standards, including 100% Java and
J2EE standard
� Support from the Eclipse project and large open
source community
� BIRT reports include work order status and
trends; facility and project budgets; and
employee productivity
� Initial integration completed in a few days
� Reports created in real-time and can refresh
automatically on application screen
32 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Actuate Provides Flexible Deployment Choices
Common Technology and Skill SetCommon Technology and Skill Set
Embedded Reporting Engine Enterprise ReportingWorkgroup Reporting
iServer Services
Report Scheduling & Management
Notification & Distribution
Clustering & High Availability
Security & Application Integration
iServer Services
Report Scheduling & Management
Notification & Distribution
Clustering & High Availability
Security & Application Integration
Information ObjectsInformation Objects
Eclipse BIRTEclipse BIRT
COMMERCIAL
PRODUCTS
OPEN
SOURCE
PROJECTS iPortaliPortaliPortaliPortal
BIRT ReportsBIRT Reports BIRT ReportsBIRT Reports BIRT ReportsBIRT Reports
33 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
Actuate BIRT Report Technology Family
Actuate BusinessReport / BIRT Report Interactive Viewer
Web tool for exploring and manipulating report documents
Answer ad hoc business questions without writing a report
Actuate BusinessReport Studio
Web tool for report creation by business users
Simple to use yet powerful template based model
Actuate BIRT Report Designer
Desktop tool for report developers and power users
Easier to use; can leverage components created in Pro
Actuate BIRT Report Designer Pro
Desktop tool for professional IT developers
Full power of scripting in Java; Eclipse IDE; and more
34 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT: What is Next?
� Continue to add reporting capabilities for existing components
� BIRT 2.1.3 – Q2 2007: Maintenance Release
� BIRT 2.2 – June 2007: Feature Release
� BIRT 2.2: Project Plan at www.eclipse.org/birt
� Expanded support for report types (Example: Dynamic crosstab)
� New and improved data sources (Example: Web Services)
� Additional output formats (Example: Excel)
� Developer productivity (Example: integration components)
� Additional charts types and Smart Formatting
� … See project plan for many more
� Expand project into Analytics area of Business Intelligence
35 Introduction to the BIRT Project | © 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0
BIRT Project Summary
� Top level Eclipse project
� 100% Java, Open Source, powerful, extensible reporting technology
� Easy to use, with a web centric design metaphor
� Supported by an active community
� Open source and free, with a commercial friendly license
� Getting started & learning more:
� BIRT pages on Eclipse Web site http://www.eclipse.org/birt
� BIRT pages on Actuate Web site http://www.actuate.com/birt
� BIRT related blog http://birtworld.blogspot.com
� BIRT Newsgroup news://news.eclipse.org/eclipse.birt
© 2007 by Actuate; made available under the EPL v1.0 | March 4, 2007
THANK YOU!